Men's Basketball

In the Summer of 2014, the Alma College Sports Information department is producing a series of questions and answers with the head coaches of Scots athletics. Each top coach will be asked five questions that we hope will give you, the fans, an inside look at the distinct and unique personalities of the people in charge of our programs.

The intention is to have a little fun during the non-game months and to have you see a different side of the men and women of AC Athletics.

The first coach brave enough to answer our questions is Head Men's Basketball Coach Sam Hargraves.

Q: What does a day in the life of Sam Hargraves consist of in the summer?

A: As far as job related, it is the same thing as during the academic season, but just at a lot slower pace. Recruiting is a 12-month job and we are now getting ready for our camp that starts tomorrow. It is still busy, but nothing has quite the same urgency in these summer months. But, it's also a time for rest and relaxation and recharging mentally before the kids come back to campus.

Q: Do you see or hear from your players during the summer months?

A: Absolutely. This year we have open gym if not every week, then every other week and I think we have probably had three already since the end of the school year. We are kind of a central location for where everybody is, so our gym is as good a place as any to work out. This gives me a chance to talk to them before they start playing and maybe have a chance to say goodbye when they are done. We also are able to communicate through Twitter and have fun with retweets and of course, we text back and forth as well. I was also able to see a lot of the newcomers at the recent Becoming a Scot day.

Q: Did you watch the NBA Playoffs and if yes, what were your thoughts?

A: I did. I don't want it to sound too dramatic, but I really think that with the Spurs winning the way they did, watching them interact with each other and their coach, it was a great thing for the game of basketball. You can tell that I love the team game of the '80's with the Lakers and the Celtics and of course the Pistons and the Bulls. I believe the pro game has fallen off so much from that era, not from a talent level, but from the team concept approach. Right now it has evolved into being all about the individual and the marketing and selling of jerseys, etc. But then these Spurs come along and the team game is back and they win a championship with that style - I was really addicted to watching the playoffs this spring.

Q: What is the one thing your players would be surprised to know about your life away from the gym?

A: I think they would be surprised at how non-mechanical I am around the house. Things such as fixing the garage or the garbage disposal or trying to take the battery out of my lawn mower! These are just things where I have very little God given talent and I think they would believe that I might be pretty good at those things. I am so mechanically-challenged that I would be embarrassed if they knew just how bad I was at those types of things. Well, now they are going to find out about it and I fully expect that they will give me a hard time!

Q: Finally, who is your favorite Superhero?

A: That's easy. Hands down it is Batman. Because he could actually be real. Batman could actually exist. There is no Superman, no Aquaman, but a guy could be Batman. He could have those kind of skills and all his little gadgets. I wish there was a Batman out there!

Well, there you have it for episode one of our Q&A sessions with Alma College Head Coaches! What did you learn about Sam Hargraves? What answer will you give him a hard time about when you see him next?!

We hope that you enjoy this summer series and we fully expect the student athletes of each respective sport to have a little fun bantering back and forth with their head coach!

Next up: Scots Head Volleyball Coach Sarah Dehring on Monday, June 23.